Big Week Ahead..... treatment and moving!

Poor Heidi (our Miniature Schnauzer) is not happy with all the boxes and people going in and out... she will be going to her friends (groomer's) house this week so she will not be driven nuts by the movers... and vice versa.......


Well, it's a big week.

I have the "big" treatment Tuesday - Cisplatin and Gemzar, usually puts me out of commission for almost the full week......... and we have the "big" move ........ the movers arrive to pack Wednesday/Thursday and loading is Friday. Cleaning and final details Saturday/Sunday. I'll be lounging at the Holiday Inn while Gord, my mom and Brian man the fort - the movers do all the work, but it still takes organization and there are always oddball things that crop up.

I have no idea what the internet situation will be..........uh .......... and I forgot to sign us up for internet in Regina, so I don't have my our new email address.... stay tuned though, I will post updates...

The "little" move (Craig and Michelle to the apartment) is mostly complete now...... they are adjusting to their new life! Our Winnipeg phone number will be transferring to their apartment August 4, so that number remains in effect.... we can be reached there or by our cell phones...

Here is my little bit of inspiration for today........... I have no idea who this guy was, but this quote struck me as we embark on these major changes in our lives this summer:

"Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out"..... Vaclav Havel

"Week Off" and more news from Shanghai and Hangzhou..........

This is the week in the month that is totally free from treatments! Yippeeeeeee.... I'm feeling fine, fatigue an issue, but that is pretty normal, especially considering that my blood counts have been on the low side....

So....... I have a free week.........

Our movers arrive to do the packing beginning August 2.........it is lousy timing for me as I have a "big" treatment August 1, but mom will be her and I will move to a hotel room for the duration of packing, so it should work out better than it seems...

Another update from Mom..... They are doing GREAT, sounds like it really has been the trip of a lifetime... here's a little excert:

Greetings from rainy Hangzhou! We arrived by bus this morning and it has been raining all day, but that didn't stop us from taking a one-hour walk at the West Lake. Beautiful scenery, and although it was pouring, it was still hot. Yesterday in Shanghai was another amazing day. In the morning we toured Old Shanghai and went to a market created from a former Temple. Lunch at McDonald's before the afternoon concert. The concert hall really had to be seen to believe. The kids gave a great concert in an acoustically-perfect theatre. Only a couple of years old. It was well received and attended by a Canadian Trade Ambassador who went backstage afterwards to greet them.

News from the China travellers! Very exciting!

Hi all... I think I've mentioned that my mom and dad are in China travelling with my sister's family. My niece Heather (the one who will be doing the 60k Weekend to end Breast Cancer later this summer) is in the BC Girl's choir and her choir, as well as the BC Boy's choir are "touring" China. Kelly (my sister) is a chaperone, and my mom and dad, Gary and Holly and Laurel are in accompanying tour.

Well, my mom found a computer, worked her way throught the fact that it was in a Chinese language! They are having a GREAT time and here is mom's email, which she gave permission for me to share here.... she will not be able to email her usual gang due to time, etc...

"We had great flights over. Ten hours to Tokyo and after a couple of hours layover, 4 hours to Beijing. Very hot, humid, sticky and hazy. Probably pollution and heat combination. We've had two very exciting days. The hotel is wonderful, fully modern, with all the amenities--including this Business Center. Saw the Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square, Temple of Heaven, shopped at a 7-storey market (Holly was a whiz at bargaining), went to a silk market, and had a pedicab (rickshaw) ride through one of the old style "hutongs" (narrow alleys and old style housing). It was fantastic. Today we are off to the Great Wall.The food is incredible! They are taking us to great restaurants and we will all be gaining weight! Breakfast here at the hotel includes eggs, bacon, toast, pasta, salads, fruit, as well as all the Chinese menu items.

The choir's performance last night was awesome! What an incredible bunch of talented kids. The theatre was beautiful and the concert was well-received by the audience, especially when they sang a song in Chinese. Apparently the Chinese VicePremier was there. The people took lots of pictures of them after the show. I forgot to mention our visit to the Canadian Embassy, which was a great experience also. Had a presentation on video, a talk by the Ambassador, the choirs sang and then there was a reception for them.We are being treated royally.

Also, Laurel is a hit wherever we go. I think that while the Chinese people see Caucasian adults, they don't see too many children, so people are coming up to her and touching her cheeks. We are giving out Canadian pins, and when Laurel (or the other girls) give one to a child, they will reciprocate with a gift-- candy, a flag, or coin."

Round 3 Day 11

Once again, the first week is the toughest, then it gets considerably easier..... During this round, I've had a 10% dose reduction, in the hopes that my blood counts will not drop so dangerously far down again. Supposedly, a dose reduction is common with this regime, and it is not supposed to decrease the efficacy of the drug.... which makes me wonder if this is true, why not just start out on the lower dose? But that is the sort of question that really has no good answer, much of the drug and dose business being a bit of a crap-shoot to begin with.........

Some may remember that I am to be rescanned sometime around now to see how these drugs are working......... I don't have a date for the scan yet, but now it is supposed to be in mid-August. Hopefully there will be a booked date soon. One thing for sure, my cough is completely gone which is either a good sign (although they didnt' really think there was enough cancer in me to be causing the cough in the first place).... OR.... it is a "at least it is not a BAD sign".....

That's it for now.... I'm a little draggy these days (normal course and due to the low blood counts, less oxygen capacity with fewer living blood cells, etc.... ) so I rest quite a bit (an activity I am not a fan of); but all in all, I'm doing pretty good.

Cheers and thanks to all you blogger responders......

Pasta for Kelly

Most of the gang out for supper at "The Forks" after Craig's graduation


The restaurant did not have the following recipe........ but they should.........




Very easy........... taken from Food Network, not sure of exact proportions (For once in my life, no real recipe)

Pasta, any shape, but something heavier (penne) works best
Pancetta (Italian bacon) about 1/4 - 1/2 lb
onions
mushrooms (firmer brown mushrooms are ideal)
garlic - 1-2 cloves, minced
canned tomatoes (purists would use Italian Plum tomatoes) 16-28 oz at least
oregano (sprinkle)
salt, pepper to taste
fresh parsley, basil if you have it....
cream (optional, but highly recommended)

Boil pasta, in salted water.

Saute pancetta (if it is really lean you might need a bit of olive oil) until really crispy, it smells weird, but the end result will be good)... add onion, garlic, mushrooms, saute until onions are soft. Add tomatoes and oregano, salt and pepper..... cook 5-10 minutes or longer until sauce is thick..... If you want to make it super delicious, add some cream (or fat free cream for all you skinny people. in a pinch use milk, but the sauce won't be quite the right consistency)

Drain pasta and add to the sauce, toss to coat it all, sprinkle on the fresh parsley/basil if using and serve....


Oh, one of my favourite restaurants makes a version of this but puts in hunks of the baby mozzarella when spooning it onto the plate.... even MORE delicious....

Round #3 Day #2 Cisplatin + Gemzar

Some of my garden. My friends Judy and Steven helped me get the flowers and get the beds ready. My mom planted, and I (Joanne) mostly bossed around the workers...... They look great and it is so great to have lovely flowers around.

Thanks to Judy, Steven and mom.... Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves - James M. Barrie

The first week of my chemo cycles are always the "big" ones.... not only does it take about 8 hours at the cancer clinic to get all the work done, bloodwork, infusions, etc... it is also the "big" one for side effects.

Cisplatin is an "oldie" heavy-hitter chemo drug. It is mostly used in bladder cancer, but can be approved for use in metastatic breast cancer. The cisplatin is very hard on the bladder and kidney, and so I have to drink tons of water constantly in order to prevent damage. It is a platinum based drug and so I think it interferes with DNA production of fast growing cells (cancer is particularly fast growing). It is also "high" on the nausea scale, but I do have numerous drugs on board to manage that. It also causes a fair amount of weakness and fatigue and is hard on the blood counts, esp. white blood cells. All this crap seems to last about about 6-7 days, then I feel pretty "OK" again. I get Cisplatin every 28 days.

Gemzar is a "newer" chemo drug, and also used mostly in bladder cancer, but found to have some use in metastatic breast cancer. By comparison it is a LOT easier. It causes nausea and general flu-like systems, but only for 24-48 hours, so it is much more managable.... also hard on blood counts, esp platelets.... I get Gemzar every week, with a one week break.....

So, in a nutshell, this first week is a challenge, then the rest of the month is much, much better.

It was great to have our family here - Gord's mom and dad were able to attend Craig's graduation dinner and dance, - my mom, dad, Darryl and his family, Kelly and her girls...... were here to visit and attended the convocation of Craig's grade 12 graduation.....Mom has generously stayed on to help our household (again), just before she leaves for China to accompany my niece (Heather's) choir on a tour. All of Kelly's family is going as well as my mom and dad and they should have many adventures to tell us about!!!! We're very excited for them.

Everything is falling into place with the house (officially sold)..... the kids are moving into their apartment (furniture is moved this Friday)... and we all keep moving forward........

Cheers to all..... joanne

It's sold

Brian with the "For Sale" sign.........

Whew............... we've accepted an offer on the house, and while it is conditional on financing and home inspection.... if all goes smoothly it will be finalized by the end of the week.

Getting the house ready (and keeping it "show" ready) was no small feat, especially as I continued to have treatments throughout.... we couldn't have done it without my mom, Gord's sister and my niece... also Gord took time off work, and the kids pitched in at a moment's notice.

Round 2 Day 10

This photo of desert flowers was taken just outside of my mom and dad's home in Scottsdale.

This week I had another treatment (Gemzar alone) on Tuesday. It's Thursday today, and I'm already feeling fine, so the "Gemzar alone" weeks are pretty easy to tolerate.....

Tonight is Brian's "Senior 1" (Grade 9) farewell.......... which is actualy a dinner and "dance" for parents and students. And I certainly feel up to it, so that is great news..... Next week is Craig's Grade 12 graduation, and my health team have rejigged my chemo schedule so that I have next week "off".........

So... apart from having kinda low blood counts it is clear sailing for the next week or so.......I am washing my hands like Lady MacBeth and hopefully all will be well....

P.S. I made some setting changes so that maybe will be easier to "comment" if you so choose! Thanks to my friends who pointed out their challenges commenting, apparently we have missed some brilliant replies!

"Unless you call out, who will open the door?" - Congolese Proverb

Kudos to the work crew!

Well, our home now looks better than it ever did while we've been living in it!

Gord and the boys have been working for weeks. Gord's sister Laurelle, and her daughter Lacey also came from Saskatchewan and worked like slaves, helping us fix things up and clean things up... My mom has also arrived and thank goodness.......finishing touches were all week - carpet cleaning, etc..

Anyway, the house is ready for the market, it begins it's listing tomorrow, and hopefully will sell quickly...

Here it is......

http://www.webview360.com/territory/listingPage.jsp?oid=106979&territoryCode=602

Heather's 60k walk

Some of my friends have asked about my niece, Heather, who is going to be walking in the "Weekend to End Breast Cancer" in Vancouver... August 18-20/06. The picture you see of Heather and me was taken when she came to visit me in Winnipeg just after I had my port re-inserted and just before I started chemo again.

http://www.endcancer.ca/site/TR?px=1463332&pg=personal&fr_id=1110

Heather recently had a birthday party for her 12th birthday and she had her friends bring donations for the "Walk" instead of presents for her. What a girl!!! I am a lucky aunt to have such wonderful nieces and nephews.

(The rest of my team is doing pretty well too... you will find them in Joanne's Team)

This is to Heather and all my walker friends: "Start by doing what is necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly, you are doing the impossible" St. Francis of Assisi



Round #3 Cisplatin + Gemzar, Day #3........ it's almost over, and tomorrow is another day!

"The sunrise never failed us yet" - Celia Thaxter

Round 2, Day 2 (Cisplatin = Gemzar)

The picture above is from 2 yrs ago, the Vancouver "Weekend to End Breast Cancer" 60 km walk, and is (from the left) my dad, my sister, my brother and Michelle (daughter).... This past weekend was the first "walk" in Winnipeg. Michelle volunteered as "crew" for the event, and she struggles a bit with the emotional part of it, but I am very proud of her. I happened to drive past part of the walk route this year and it is very overwhelming and emotional in a way I can't explain. Seeing the walkers as they made their way to camp, tired but smiling.......It is very remarkable that so many people would go to so much effort, both in walking and in donating and even the organizing...... all to benefit people like me..... My sister, my 12 yr old niece, my brother and his wife (My SIL) will be doing the walk again this year in Vancouver (you can look them up as "Joanne's Team", and several friends whose lives have been profoundly touched by breast cancer are also walking in Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto.

Back to me.... (my blog after all, therefore all about ME !!!)

It's going OK...... all the meds they give for nausea, etc... seem to be working and I'm holding my own......... not running any races, but I'm not desparte either.... On Round 1, I was pretty down and out for sure for 5-6 days, so I expect it to be the same....

My Grandma Maloney used to say "What cannot be cured must be endured" (I think most of my aunts and uncles still say it) and that is pretty much what these big chemo weeks are like.... the good thing that with every passing hour, I'm closer to getting through the worst of it.

Hey, thanks to my blog responders, I feel very famous, but please don't anyone feel obligated!

Cheers, and I sincerely hope that you are all feeling better than me at the moment, and if you are not, I wish for you a stack of good drugs (certainly necessary for me at the moment).....

Joanne

Feeling very good

No, I'm not travelling to Minneapolis right now, but I do feel pretty good... the "week off" turned into 2 weeks off chemo and I'm really feeling very recovered.

The photo (right) was taken about a month ago when the boys and Gord and I went on a quick trip to Minneapolis, Mall of America, etc... we had a great time....

This week is the "big" treatment - Cisplatin and Gemzar, I am not looking forward to it, but the task is just to get through it.... Tuesday is treatment day, and mom arrives Monday - her presense is always an absolute godsend.... she keeps us all sane!

My "week off" is a bonus week

Well, since my treatment last week was cancelled, I actually had a "week off" last week, so this week, my "week off" is bonus, and I actually feel pretty good.

Lucky for me, since we've had so much going on!

We drove to Regina last weekend where we: saw the new house we purchased on Friday (with the help of our scouts, mom and dad)... registered Brian for school for fall.... and Gord went in to meet his new bosses for his new job, which starts Sept. 1.

We will list our house sometime after my next "big" treatment (Cisplatin + Gemzar) which is one week from today and our luck holds, it will sell quickly, the market is apparently "hot".

Cheers to everyone!

Disappointmet already

Yesterday I was supposed to have my third Gemzar treatment, but my white blood cell count was too low and so the treatment was cancelled.

It's a weird feeling.... chemo is not something that is fun to do, but it is still upsetting to have it cancelled, seems like a bad sign.

Apparently though, it is very common with the drugs I am on to have this happen. My oncologist is unconcerned, and told me to view it as a sign that the chemo is "making stuff happen in there".... she will likely do a dose reduction for my next treatment so that this doesn't happen again.

Joanne's quote of the day: "We must never despair: Our situation has been compromised before, and it has changed for the better; so I trust it will again" - George Washington

OK, here goes....

Well...........

Thanks to Steve and Judy Tremblay who suggested I get myself a blog..... This seemed a tremendously "new-fangled" idea, but I've decided to crash into 2006 and give it a try. I have no real idea what I am doing, so prepare for mistakes, but here's the deal...

I'll try to keep up with my blog, and that will spare the email updates for all of us! You can check in on us, or not! AND... if I figure out how to operate the blog, you can talk back! So far, it is just me talking (what else is new!!). Looks like I'll need "blogging" lessons...... who came up with the word "blog" anyway?

The photo is of me and Michelle just before she got onto the plane for her travel study course in Italy, lucky girl